Baseball Training Aid

ABSTRACT

A baseball is provided with indicia to aid a batter in visualizing direction and loft of a batted ball. By providing a series of projected lofts, a batter can train to hit a ball of varying lofts, ranging from ground balls, to line drives, to pop-ups and any range in between. In addition to projected lofts, one or more projected directional indicators can also be marked on the training ball.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/587,748, filed 17 Nov. 2017, and this application is a continuation of U.S. Design Patent Application Ser. No. 29/624,618, filed 2 Nov. 2017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of sports, and more specifically, training devices used to train baseball/softball players to swing a bat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A baseball is provided with indicia to aid a batter in visualizing direction and loft of a batted ball. By providing a series of projected lofts, a batter can train to hit a ball of varying lofts, ranging from ground balls, to line drives, to pop-ups and any range in between. In addition to projected lofts, one or more projected directional indicators can also be marked on the training ball.

The baseball is then placed on a preferably stationary tee and a batter can try to match the trajectory of a swung bat to the intended trajectory of the ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side view of a baseball;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the baseball of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front side view of the baseball of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a back side of the baseball of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a top side of the baseball of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a bottom side of the baseball of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the baseball in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a right side and left side view, respectively, of an exemplary baseball 10 is shown. The baseball (or other type of ball such as a softball or tennis ball or golf ball) is used for practicing hitting balls off a tee 22 (See FIG. 7). The ball 10 comprises seams 12 as is known. A series of loft indicators 14 are applied to the surface of the baseball 10 to indicate optimal launch angles and serve as visual targets for the batter. In one embodiment, loft markings 15 accompany corresponding loft indicators 14. Alternatively or additionally, text indicating for instance a ground ball, line drive, or pop-up could accompany or replace loft markings 15. In a preferred embodiment a series of loft indicators 14, preferably arrows, are included so that the batter can visualize a batting swing trajectory to result in the intended loft outcome. Similarly, one or more directional indicators 16 as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, can also be provided so that the batter can visualize a batting swing trajectory to result in the intended directional outcome.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an additional side view is shown, with directional and loft indicators 16 and 14 providing visual indicators of intended paths.

Referring again to FIG. 5, suggested text 20 can accompany the indicator 16, and as shown in FIG. 6, a tee positioning suggestion 18 (or horizontal alignment marker), comprising text and a target, can be displayed to show the batter where to place the ball on tee 22 (FIG. 7). Tee positioning suggestion 18 also places a single point on the tee 22 so that the ball 10 can be arranged properly horizontally and vertically from the perspective of the batter of ball 10.

In an alternative embodiment, ball 10 could be covered with different colors in various areas between loft markings 15. For instance, the ball 10 could be colored in green in an area of 20-30 degrees loft from horizontal to indicate a positive outcome swing path such as a line drive, and/or covered in red in the area above 35 degrees to indicate a negative outcome such as a pop-up.

In a preferred embodiment, one loft indicator line 14 could indicate a horizontal oriented line, so that the ball could be correctly positioned on tee 22. In one embodiment, the actual degrees of angles illustrated by loft indicators 14 can be varied the degrees of the angle that are shown on the ball 10 to reflect, for instance, a −7 degree angle of an oncoming pitched ball 10.

In an alternative embodiment, ball 10 can be used in conjunction with tee options where the ball is held at a different angle, such as a commercially available “Backspin Tee” from www.backspintee.com (incorporated herein by reference).

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, because numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims. 

I/We claim:
 1. A ball comprising: a horizontal alignment marker; a first loft indicator designating a first loft from horizontal; and a directional indicator marking.
 2. A ball according to claim 1, the horizontal alignment marker comprising tee positioning suggestion placed on a bottom area of said ball.
 3. A ball according to claim 1 in combination with a tee for carrying said ball.
 4. A ball according to claim 4, said tee carrying said ball at said horizontal alignment marker.
 5. A ball according to claim 1, said first loft indicator intersecting said directional indicator marking at a first position below an equator of said ball as said ball rests on said bottom area of said ball.
 6. A ball according to claim 5, said ball further comprising a second loft indicator designating a second loft from horizontal.
 7. A ball according to claim 6, said second loft indicator intersecting said directional indicator marking at a second position below said equator of said ball as said ball rests on said bottom area of said ball, said second position closer to said bottom of said ball below said equator of said ball than said first position below said equator of said ball. 